Monday, February 20, 2012

DogTV is the cat’s meow

Test Subject: DogTV, the television channel for dogs.

The big picture: Making its cable-TV debut in San Diego, the recently launched DogTV channel was created to help soothe and distract dogs while their humans are away from home, or perhaps while their humans are too busy watching “Downton Abbey” in the other room to administer comforting belly rubs.

DogTV is an on-demand channel airing on Cox Cable on Channel 2635. ﻿Time Warner Cable customers in metro San Diego can find it by going to the On Demand area, then selecting “My Pet” or “My Home.” (The channel is not available to Time Warner’s North County customers.)

It is free for now, but the creators plan to make it a subscription channel with a fee of about $4.99 a month. Among DogTV’s selling points, no loud commercials to startle our furry friends and no episodes of “Toddlers & Tiaras” to undermine our already shaky reputation as the superior species.

San Diego is a pet-crazy city, but will San Diego’s pets be crazy about DogTV? I put in some viewing time with a few four-legged critics to find out.